Power closure members such as, for example, power lift gates and power deck lids are well known in the art. One example of such a device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,538,506 to Zinn et al. assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC.
Production line fitters currently rely upon margins and flushness of a closure member with other body components in order to fit the closure member to a vehicle. This is largely a process done by “feel” with past experiences playing a key role in the process. In other words the process relies principally upon human judgment and as such is subject to human error.
When the closure member is subjected to a greater mechanical interference between a latch and striker than required for proper operation of the lock assembly, the related mechanical and electrical components of the power closure member are subjected to undo wear over time. Further, in those situations where mechanical interference becomes too great, the power closure member is subjected to an obstacle reversal and will reopen rather than close. Thus, it should be appreciated that proper fitting of a closure member is an important yet difficult task as there is no feedback from the fitting process to properly inform the fitter on how well the closure is being fitted/adjusted.
It has now been determined that mechanical interference is proportional to the current drawn by the closure member actuator when the latch engages the striker of a lock assembly. Thus, it is possible to identify a predetermined current range representative of desired mechanical interference between the latch and striker of a lock assembly. This information can then be used to (a) provide real time data to allow a fitter on the assembly line to properly fit and adjust a closure member to a vehicle and (b) provide a means for monitoring a closure member for proper fit and adjustment during day to day use by the operator and allow preventive maintenance for maintaining proper function of the closure member over time.